Name: Southern Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 medium onion (finely chopped); 3 cloves garlic (grated); 5 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes; 3/4 cups butter; 8- ounce package cream cheese (softened); 1/2-3/4 cup half & half (warmed prior to using in recipe); 1/2 teaspoon salt; Fresh chives (finely chopped for serving)

Recipe

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Creamy, delicious, and simply indulgent; these Southern Mashed Potatoes are just the thing to make for your family and guests during the holidays!

Southern Mashed Potatoes make that perfect thick buttery base for gravy -if you have it and want it. They're so good, you'll come back for seconds -unless you also added my Cornbread Sausage Stuffing onto your plate.

southern mashed potatoes in a white bowl with finely chopped onion and butter on top

Southern Style Mashed Potatoes

Are these homemade mashed potatoes indulgent? Sure. It's the holidays and nearly all of us indulge in something. I remember being in front of the stove "testing" this recipe. My husband still talks about "that one time I ate half the pot of mashed potatoes before Thanksgiving". I have my weaknesses. Now, I even make cottage cheese mashed potatoes; they feel a little guilt-free, you know?

Most of the recipes on my websites are quite crunchy and very colorful, nearly two requirements for the foods I eat regularly. However, special occasions like Thanksgiving and the holidays call for exceptional recipes - and if they can be made ahead of time, even better!

Ingredients

Russet or Yukon gold potatoes work best for this recipe. To make them super flavorful, you’ll use onion (or onion powder) and garlic cloves (or garlic powder). For heavenly creaminess, you’ll need butter, cream cheese, and half & half (you can swap it for whole milk). I also like to add finely chopped fresh chives for serving.

How to Make Creamy Southern Mashed Potatoes

The easy steps for this delicious mashed potatoes recipe are:

Cook the potatoes
Cut the potatoes into large, similar-sized pieces. This way, they cook evenly, and water has less chance of going through the potatoes and diluting their flavor. Cook in boiling water until the potato is soft enough for a fork to slide through and break easily.
Sauté the aromatics
Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté the garlic until it softens and is fragrant. Add the onions, and cook until soft and translucent.
Mash the potatoes
Drain the potatoes and mash them over low heat. Add the sautéed onions and garlic and continue mashing, allowing the steam to escape.
Make it creamy!
Adding the butter first helps the potatoes remain firm. Once it's combined, add the cream cheese and warmed half & half. For the best consistency, pour half and half slowly to help the potatoes absorb the liquid.

While warming half and half, you can add your favorite aromatics for more flavor. Once it's warm, strain it, so the herbs don't change the mashed potatoes texture.

What are the Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes?

While you can mash any potato variety; Russet and Yukon gold potatoes are higher in starch, yielding a smoother and creamier texture. Russet potatoes are fluffy and soft, with a mild taste that absorbs the other flavors. Yukon gold potatoes have a rich and creamy texture with an irresistible buttery taste, making them another great choice to mash.

Can You Make Mashed Potatoes Ahead of Time?

Save time by washing, peeling, and cutting the potatoes ahead of time. Once done, soak them in a bowl with water and refrigerate for up to a day. This will help to prevent the potatoes from browning. The smaller the potatoes, the less they will last soaked in water without breaking apart, so consider cutting them into large pieces.

If you want to make Southern mashed potatoes ahead, they’ll hold well in the fridge for two days. Take it out about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Then, reheat them in the oven at 350F for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

How to Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm

If you aren't ready to serve these Southern mashed potatoes, put them in an oven-safe 9×13 baking dish, cover them with foil, and keep them warm in the oven at 200F or your lowest bake setting. When the rest of your meal is ready, transfer to your serving dish (or not) and garnish them with freshly chopped chives.

How to Store Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Once cooled, transfer the mashed potatoes into an airtight container or zip bag and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also use leftovers to make these delicious loaded mashed potato cups and give them a totally new vibe!

How to Reheat Mashed Potatoes

These Southern mashed potatoes can taste as good as the day you made them with the reheating tips below.

In the microwave: use a microwave-safe dish with a lid on and provide a small vent in a corner for the air to escape. Reheat the potatoes on high, in 60-second intervals, stirring them so they reheat evenly.

In the oven: this is a great method if you have a lot of leftovers. I recommend adding a little liquid, such as milk, stirring it into the mashed potato mixture, and reheating them in the oven at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes, covered with foil.

Southern Mashed Potatoes

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Creamy, delicious, and simply indulgent; these Southern Mashed Potatoes are just the thing to make for your family and guests during the holidays!

5 from 50 votes

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Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
5 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes
¾ cups butter
8- ounce package cream cheese , softened
½-3/4 cup half & half, warmed prior to using in recipe
½ teaspoon salt
Fresh chives, finely chopped for serving

Instructions

Cook the potatoes:

Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into similar sized pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil, add potatoes, add salt, and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes for 25-30 minutes (will vary by size), until they are soft enough for a fork to slide through and easily break through the potato.

Sauté aromatics:

Meanwhile, on a large pan over medium high heat, heat up oil. Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds, until it begins to soften and is fragrant. Add the onions, and cook until soft and translucent, for about 7 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

Combine:

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. Once drained, transfer them back into the large pot. Over low heat, begin mashing the potatoes, add the sautéed onions and garlic and continue mashing allowing the steam to escape.

Make them creamy:

Turn off heat and add butter, cream cheese, ½ cup of warmed half and half, and salt. Add additional half and half if necessary and mix through until the cream cheese has melted. Transfer hot potatoes to an oven proof serving dish and keep them in the oven if not using up immediately. Garnish with chives.

Notes

When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.